Self-feeding card-printing press



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NATHAN AMES, OF SAUGUS CENTRE, ASSIGNOR. TO HIMSELF AND NATHANIEL EVANS, JR., OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

S'ELF-FEEDING CARD-PRINTING PRESS.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 25,055, dated April 22, 1862.

To all 207mm t 71mg con/cern,.-

Be it known that I, NATHAN AMES, of Saugus Centre, in the county of Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Self-Feeding Card-Press;

J vibraties or rocks on the axle or i'ulerum K, the two extremities of which pass through the sides of the frame A A. In one side of this i block J is a groove, l', (shown by dotted lines and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ot the constructioi'i and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drmvings, forming a part ot' this speeiiication, in which- Figure l is a side elevation; Fig. 2, atop view with the feeding aliparatus removed; Fig. 3, a view ot' the outer surface ofthe forked feeding-plate R and the piece Q, in which it slides between the raised slats q; and Fig. l is a side view of the feeding-plate. Fig. 5 is a perspective view ot' the press entire.

Like parts are indicated by the same letters in all the drawings.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvements, I will'now proseven inches long and six inches in diameter. g

In order to make it as light as possible, this segment G may be constructed ot' hollow east-- iron; or, the two ends being cast-iron, a thin sheet of iron or brass of the proper curve may be riveted to said ends and the type-bed and constitute the distributer.

H is the chase, which may be confined to the flat part of G, constituting' the type-bed, by means of screws or in any other obvious manner.

H is the type.

In the longitudinal center of the segment G is a hole or pipe-box, through which passes the axle F, uniting the two arms E E of the crank-shaft.

In one side of the segment G is a groove, in which is placed and confined bya screw, 1', a steel slide, I, the length and position of which are shown in Figs. l. and 2. This block parallel.

and so as to nearly touch the slide l. this pin N (as represented in Fig. l) is placed z in Figs. l and 2,) in which groove plays the steel slide l, by means of which it is obvious that the type-bed and the platen J are always That part of J to which the platen J is attached is hollow, and that part back of the axle K is solid, to operate as a counterpoise to the weight of the feeding' apparatus. The platen J may be carried nearer to or farther from the type-face in the usual manner by means of screw-bolts running through J.

L is the card-stopper, which is drawn toward j and against the platen by means of the spiral i spring I., and thrown from the platen at the proper time to release the printed card by means of the pin L striking again s t the bolt B.

M the frame of the ink-rollers M M.

N is a pin, one end 01"; which is fast in the center of the crank-shaft D, as shown in Fig. f2, said pin extending across the distributer G Over the ink-roller .frame M, the sides of which are slotted so as to straddle the pin.

O is a bolt, one end of which attached to the pin N and the other provid ed with a screw and nut, o. y

l is a spiral spring by means of which the ink-rollers are pressed against the distrilnitor and the face of the type.

It is obvious that more or .less pressure may be given to the hiking-rollers by mea-ns of the nut. o.

As a counterpoise to the weight of the type and segment G, I make the cra-nk D heavy; or, in ease a pinion-wheel is substituted for the crank D', in order that the press may be driven by power applied to a fly-wheel, then a counterpoise equivalent to the handle D may be attached to the opposite end of crankshaft D. Thus the crank D being turned in the direction indicated by the arrow, itis obvious that the center of the segment G and the axle F will move in the circle X, (see dotted line in Fig. 1,) and the type-bed will be held parallel with t-he rocking pla-ten J by means of the slide l. In Fig. 1 the type is represented as movin toward the platen, the impression being given when the arms E E are parallel with the top of J, as in Fig. 2.

The type then begins to recede from the platen, and the pin L', striking against B, throws out the stopper L and allows the printed card to drop.

It is also obvious that the segment G-. c., the distributer and type-surface will be carried round the inking-rollers, while at the same time the roller-frame M partakcs of the rotary motion of the axle D.

Y (see Figs. l and 2) is a supplementary distributer turning on a spring-wire, Z, to which Y may be given` a lateral mot-ion by means of a double screw, .in the usual manner. At each revolution of the segment G the distributing-surface strikes this cylinder Y and (owing to the elasticity of the wire Z) bears upon it a considerable distance.

The parts already described constitute a simple bill-head or card press to be fed by hand; but to facilitate the operation of printing cards I make use of a part of the feeding apparatus patented by me March 29, 1859, with certain additions and improvements, which I will now describe.

Q, Figs. l and 2, is a plate pf cast-iron attached to the rocking platen-bed J, at right angles with it, by means of a piece of sheet metal, Q', and screws g. The surface of this plate is iirst planed smooth and then grooved to receive the feeding-plate R, allowing the latter to rise above the strips q q q q the thickness of a common card.

V is a slot (see Fig. 3) in the plate Q, and R' is a stud passing through said slot and (its end being turned smaller, so as to form a shoulder) through the plate R and riveted.

tis a washer, and S is a bent rod or bail, the center of which passes through the stud R', and its extremities (being'bent at right angles) pass through the sides of the frame A, as represented in Fig. l.

The feeding-plate R is made of sheet-steel about one-eighth of an inch thick, the lower portion of which is cut -into separate strips or fingers r fr r, the object of which construction is to cause the face of the'card to slide on the raised strips q q q q, and prevent it from ever being scratched or soiled by contact with that portion of the plate Q which is exposed to the friction ofv the back side of plateY R. ',lhe ends of the fingers o' 'i' r from the point to a level with the surface of the strips q are beveled, as represented at a in Fig. l., so as to always be sure to pass under the edge of a card, whether it be crooked or straight, and lift it onto vthe flat part b and against the shoulder c, and thus prevent the latter from ever catching onto more than one card at a time, and this, too, even if the fingers r (from wearing loose or springing) should happen to risc more than the thickness oi' a card above the surface of the strips q. I also make the shoulders c somewhat inclined or bevel ed under, as represented in Fig. 4, so that when it once strikes the edge of a card it will have a tendency to press the same onto the flat part b, and thereby prevent the 1ingers from ever slipping over a card and failing to feed it onto the platen.

T, Fig. l, is the sliding card-pusher, between which and the plato Q the cards to be printed are placed.

U is a spring to force the pusher with t-he cards against the plate Q.

In a working-machine I also make use of the devices covered by the sixth, seventh, and eighth claims of my patent of March 29, i859.

Fig. 2 represents the press in the act of giving the impression. Fig. l represents the press in the position assumed when the card is just fed onto the platen by the feed-plate R, which, as the platen descends, will obviously be carried back over the cards till the stud R' reaches the top of the slot V, and as upon it.

It is obvious that the feeding apparatus can readily be removed, if desirable, and the press may then be used as a bill-head or common hand-feeding card-press..

l/Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A rotatory, oscillating, reciprocating typebed and distributer, in combination with a rocking platen, substantially as described, and for the objects specified. v-

2. The slide I, combined and arranged substantially as described, for the purpose of rocking the platen an d keeping the type-bed parallel with it. l

3. Attaching the inking-rollers to the continued axis N of the crank-shaft, causing them to rotate with it, and carrying the typebed and distributer ,in a circle around said rollers, substantially as and for the object specified.

4. So arranging the card-feeding apparatus on the top of the rocking platen, that the rocking of the same, in combination with the bail S, shall feed down the cards at the proper time, substantially as set forth.

5. Constructing' the feeding-plate R with separate fingers fr, and causing them to slide in grooves between the raised strips q, to prevent the face of the card from being soiled. or scratched by coming in contact with that portion of the metal subjected to friction, substantially as described.

G. Beveling the ends -of the fingers fr so as always to pass under the edge of the card and bring it up against the shoulder c, and prevent the latter from over catching onto more than one card at a time, substantially as described.

7. Making the shoulder c somewhat inclined, so as to form an acute angle with the surface of the raised strips q, substantially as described, and for the objects specified.

NATHAN AMES.

Witnesses:

W. M.. PARKER, AUeUsrUs B. Davis.

the platen rises another card will be fed down 

